Reform UK's deputy leader, Richard Tice, has described children wearing ear defenders in school as "insane" and claimed that neurodiverse conditions such as ADHD are being overdiagnosed. Speaking at a Westminster press conference on Monday, Mr Tice was outlining the progress of Reform's Doge (Department of Government Efficiency) unit when he warned of a "crisis" in the special educational needs and disabilities (Send) system, adding that if it is not resolved, "there will be no bins collected".
Mr Tice said the best approach would be to "push almost all of it back to the schools", arguing that teachers know best and that children should not be labelled. He said it had become a "mad situation" in which children without labels were starting to feel left out and described them as "the normal minority". Referring to the use of ear defenders in classrooms, he said: "I'm sorry, this is just insane. It's got to stop. The teachers want it to stop. Heads want it to stop."
His remarks come amid growing concerns over Send funding. Research from the County Councils Network and Isos Partnership projects that Send debts will reach £17.8 billion by 2029, nearly £1,000 per child in England and more than councils spent on children's social care last year. Councils have kept these deficits off their balance sheets using a statutory override, now extended to March 2028, but 59 councils surveyed said they would go bankrupt as soon as the override ends.
Mr Tice also said annual reviews of education, health and care plans (EHCPs) were "unnecessary" and were costing "two to four grand a pop", adding that this was unfair to the children most in need. Joey Nettleton Burrows of the National Autistic Society rejected his comments, saying parents were "spending time and money fighting against a broken Send system" and that claims of "overdiagnosis" could not be further from the truth. She added that spreading such "lies" stigmatises autistic people and makes life harder for them and their families.
Mr Tice also said Reform-run local authorities had made savings totalling "well over" £300 million by tackling wasteful spending and that more than 136,000 potholes had been filled in since May. Reform UK secured 677 seats at the local elections in May and took control of several formerly Conservative-run authorities, including Derbyshire, Kent, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, North Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire and West Northamptonshire.
